Published: Thursday, April 10, 2014 at 10:25 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, April 10, 2014 at 10:25 p.m.

LAKELAND | Ana Rivera has seen a dramatic change in Polk County's Hispanic business community during the past decade.

"There weren't nearly as many Hispanic businesses as there are now," said Rivera, who has more than 35 years of marketing and merchandising experience with companies like J.C. Penney and Macy's. She moved to Polk in 2002 and founded the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Polk County in 2007.

"And with the exception of a few places like Tapatio's (Mexican Restaurant), the Hispanic businesses that were around weren't labeled as such."

That influx of Hispanic entrepreneurs in Polk has contributed to the country's smallest income gap between white and Hispanic households.

The median income for Hispanic households in the Lakeland-Winter Haven metropolitan area was $39,434, and the median income for white households was $44,014, according to the National Urban League's 2014 State of Black America report. The National Urban League is a nonpartisan civil rights organization that advocates on behalf of blacks against racial discrimination in the United States.

The annual report utilizes an "equality index" to compare the employment and income rates of blacks and Latino workers with their white counterparts.

"You can't have a conversation about income inequality without talking about race," Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, said in a statement.

According to the report, "whites are used as the benchmark because the history of race in America has created advantages for whites that continue to persist in many of the outcomes being measured."

The equality index is comprised of categories like economics, health, education, social justice and civic engagement.

The data is culled from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Center for Education Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This year's report debuted a ranking of income and unemployment equality for American cities with large black and Hispanic populations.

The ranking was based on data from the census bureau's annual American Community Survey.

Lakeland-Winter Haven ranked first among 83 American cities and metro areas with an 89.6 percent Hispanic-white index for income equality. Per the index, full equality with white workers is set at 100 percent. Lakeland-Winter Haven also ranked sixth among 77 U.S. cities with a 66.5 Black-White index for income equality.

"We all should be proud of a community that ranks so highly in these measures, but recognize that there are still disparities for many of our citizens," said Luz Heredia, chief operating officer for CareerSource Polk, a nonprofit organization that oversees state and federal funds in an effort to connect skilled job-seekers with employers.

According to the demographic estimates for 2014 gathered by the Central Florida Development Council, Polk's total population is 623,737, and its Hispanic population is 119,669, or 19.2 percent Hispanic.

Rivera attributes the narrowing of the income gap to the entrepreneurial spirit possessed by many Hispanic workers.

"Hispanics are more likely to do whatever it takes to help take care of their families," Rivera said, citing family members who offer to do laundry for other people or sell homemade "pasteles," a popular Latin-American dish.

"Whenever someone I know loses their job, I tell them they have three choices: They can go on unemployment, go back to school, or buckle down and open up their own business."

Yohansi Santana has lived in Polk for nine years and worked for Commercial Development Solutions until the civil engineering company went out of business. She waited two years and decided to open up her own restaurant. Santana is the owner of the Divicious Deli & Cafe, which has a 2-year-old location on South Florida Avenue in Lakeland, and debuted a new shop on Main Street this month.

"People love to support small businesses here," Santana said. "The locals consider it their responsibility."

Rivera said Lakeland-Winter Haven's abundant land are also a major attraction.

"There's more space and the opportunity to have your land here, and Hispanics tend to not want to live in cookie-cutter houses," she said. "Little by little, I've noticed people making their way here from Poinciana and Kissimmee."

Alberto Rodriguez is a Lakeland-based author and blogger who founded the Polk County Caucus on Hispanic affairs in 2013. He agrees the Lakeland-Winter Haven area is attractive to Hispanic people.

"Some parts of it even remind me of the island," said Rodriguez, a native of Puerto Rico. "It's also right in between Tampa and Orlando, which are two places where you can get drowned out if you want to start your own business or find work.

"But here, there are boundless opportunities."

[ John Ceballos can be reached at john.ceballos@theledger.com or 863-802-7515. ]

<p>LAKELAND | Ana Rivera has seen a dramatic change in Polk County's Hispanic business community during the past decade.</p><p>"There weren't nearly as many Hispanic businesses as there are now," said Rivera, who has more than 35 years of marketing and merchandising experience with companies like J.C. Penney and Macy's. She moved to Polk in 2002 and founded the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Polk County in 2007.</p><p>"And with the exception of a few places like Tapatio's (Mexican Restaurant), the Hispanic businesses that were around weren't labeled as such."</p><p>That influx of Hispanic entrepreneurs in Polk has contributed to the country's smallest income gap between white and Hispanic households.</p><p>The median income for Hispanic households in the Lakeland-Winter Haven metropolitan area was $39,434, and the median income for white households was $44,014, according to the National Urban League's 2014 State of Black America report. The National Urban League is a nonpartisan civil rights organization that advocates on behalf of blacks against racial discrimination in the United States.</p><p>The annual report utilizes an "equality index" to compare the employment and income rates of blacks and Latino workers with their white counterparts. </p><p>This year's edition was dubbed "One Nation Underemployed: Jobs Rebuild America." </p><p>"You can't have a conversation about income inequality without talking about race," Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, said in a statement. </p><p>According to the report, "whites are used as the benchmark because the history of race in America has created advantages for whites that continue to persist in many of the outcomes being measured."</p><p>The equality index is comprised of categories like economics, health, education, social justice and civic engagement. </p><p>The data is culled from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Center for Education Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. </p><p>This year's report debuted a ranking of income and unemployment equality for American cities with large black and Hispanic populations. </p><p>The ranking was based on data from the census bureau's annual American Community Survey. </p><p>Lakeland-Winter Haven ranked first among 83 American cities and metro areas with an 89.6 percent Hispanic-white index for income equality. Per the index, full equality with white workers is set at 100 percent. Lakeland-Winter Haven also ranked sixth among 77 U.S. cities with a 66.5 Black-White index for income equality.</p><p>"We all should be proud of a community that ranks so highly in these measures, but recognize that there are still disparities for many of our citizens," said Luz Heredia, chief operating officer for CareerSource Polk, a nonprofit organization that oversees state and federal funds in an effort to connect skilled job-seekers with employers.</p><p>According to the demographic estimates for 2014 gathered by the Central Florida Development Council, Polk's total population is 623,737, and its Hispanic population is 119,669, or 19.2 percent Hispanic. </p><p>Rivera attributes the narrowing of the income gap to the entrepreneurial spirit possessed by many Hispanic workers.</p><p>"Hispanics are more likely to do whatever it takes to help take care of their families," Rivera said, citing family members who offer to do laundry for other people or sell homemade "pasteles," a popular Latin-American dish.</p><p>"Whenever someone I know loses their job, I tell them they have three choices: They can go on unemployment, go back to school, or buckle down and open up their own business."</p><p>Yohansi Santana has lived in Polk for nine years and worked for Commercial Development Solutions until the civil engineering company went out of business. She waited two years and decided to open up her own restaurant. Santana is the owner of the Divicious Deli & Cafe, which has a 2-year-old location on South Florida Avenue in Lakeland, and debuted a new shop on Main Street this month.</p><p>"People love to support small businesses here," Santana said. "The locals consider it their responsibility."</p><p>Rivera said Lakeland-Winter Haven's abundant land are also a major attraction.</p><p>"There's more space and the opportunity to have your land here, and Hispanics tend to not want to live in cookie-cutter houses," she said. "Little by little, I've noticed people making their way here from Poinciana and Kissimmee."</p><p>Alberto Rodriguez is a Lakeland-based author and blogger who founded the Polk County Caucus on Hispanic affairs in 2013. He agrees the Lakeland-Winter Haven area is attractive to Hispanic people.</p><p>"Some parts of it even remind me of the island," said Rodriguez, a native of Puerto Rico. "It's also right in between Tampa and Orlando, which are two places where you can get drowned out if you want to start your own business or find work.</p><p>"But here, there are boundless opportunities."</p><p>[ John Ceballos can be reached at john.ceballos@theledger.com or 863-802-7515. ]</p>